Ahead of the Futsal Champions League final to be held in Yerevan, the draw for the semi-finals of the tournament took place today at Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.
Head of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan, ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan, Deputy Minister Karen Giloyan, FFA President Armen Melikbekyan, Chief of the Men's Football Department of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Lance Kelly, members of the FFA Executive Committee, and other UEFA representatives attended the event.
As a result of the draw, the following semi-finalist pairs were formed:
“Palma Futsal” – “Benfica”
“Barcelona” – “Sporting”
The hosting of the most renowned futsal club tournament's final round, according to RA ESCS Deputy Minister Karen Giloyan, serves to further promote our country.
“This is a large-scale sporting event. Any country, including ours, is honoured to host the final match of such a renowned competition. The Armenian government and the Armenian Football Federation are working hard to promote this sport in our country, and the Armenian national team is achieving great success, now ranked among the top 20 European national teams. Futsal is an immensely popular sport with a sizable fan base. I am confident that we will graciously host and conduct this tournament. We anticipate a significant number of fans arriving in our country, which is very encouraging since it directly impacts tourism by bringing a substantial influx of visitors,” said Karen Giloyan.
FFA President Armen Melikbekyan emphasized that hosting the top European futsal players at this most important stage of the competition is a significant honour for Armenia: “We are committed to making this magnificent event one that people will remember for a very long time. The RA Government and the Armenian Football Federation are making every effort to hold the tournament in the best possible way. We are confident that these efforts will be recognized by both international organizations and the vast futsal community. I wish the best of luck to all four teams participating.”
UEFA representative Lance Kelly conveyed President Aleksander Ceferin's gratitude for Armenia's willingness to host the Futsal Champions League final: “I have good memories of the UEFA European U19 Championship, which was held in Yerevan in 2019. I have no doubt that you will organize the Futsal Champions League's final round in the greatest possible way. I hope the Futsal Champions League final becomes a true festival with thousands of fans coming to Yerevan in May,” said Kelly and emphasized that Armenia has great prospects and potential for the development of futsal.
Earlier, the RA Government allocated about 280 million AMD to host the final tournament of the UEFA Futsal Champions League in Armenia. With this funding, it is planned to acquire a high-quality scoreboard that complies with UEFA standards, which all our sports representatives will be able to use during future international tournaments. In the Sports and Concert Complex named after K. Demirchyan, there is also a need to carry out appropriate improvements, particularly to the lighting and dressing rooms.
The semifinal matches will be held at Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex on May 3. “Palma Futsal” - "Benfica" match is scheduled at 6:00 pm, and "Barca" - "Sporting" - at 9:00 pm. The matches for the third and final place will be held on May 5.
Tickets for the Futsal Champions League final will go on sale on the official FFA website on March 25.
